We will very likely walk if this gets any worse and we can't pay my way out of this.

Our home has been ad-free since 2003 when we started recording everything we intend to watch. TiVo better not go down that route.

Tivo did this is the past, although not quite this large, and there was no option to pay or otherwise opt-out.

Tivo will continue to have these ads as long as they work. Companies are trying it as marketing and it must be bringing them some business if they continue to pay Tivo for the privilege. Also, since it is apparently working to at least some degree, Tivo has little reason to discontinue the practice.

I understand where you are coming from but disagree. The advertising dollars they are making from Carbonite are not going to be enough to, lets say, keep the monthly cost from being a $1 more or a lifetime subscription from being $30 more or them charging $30 more per box, etc, etc. Of course, I do not know what they are getting for the Ads but knowing the business I'm fairly certain it would not make a dent.

I agree with your comments.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NJguy

I don't mind seeing an ad when I go to Tivo Central. There's a bunch of blank space to the right under the "My Shows" tab and even when you're in "My Shows" you can probably put an add or two up top (where they put Carbonite ad now) and to the right under the shows you have recorded.

I am in the NO ADS camp. I don't want to see even one ad on my TiVo.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NJguy

I think it's wrong to put it on a pause screen and is not in good taste for all the reasons listed in other posts. I don't pay a premium for an iPad for ads. If I want ads I'll get a Kindle....and if I don't want ads on that I'll pay the $30 extra to eliminate them. Tivo is a premium device and should not include ads IMO.

They're tacky, and really blemish an otherwise awesome UI... Okay, the UI is almost awesome - it will be awesome when all the menus are in HD.

Has anyone tried or considered a proxy that blocks ads? No clue where the tivo ads are served from, but if it is a different location than their guide services etc... it would be trivial to block them.

Has anyone tried or considered a proxy that blocks ads? No clue where the tivo ads are served from, but if it is a different location than their guide services etc... it would be trivial to block them.

Wouldn't it just download the info with it's daily checkin? Once it downloads the ad it seems to show the same one for a while.

Again I have no problem with the ads. if they were obtrusive or prevented me from using my TiVos like I normally do then I would be strongly against it. But in it's current form it has no effect on me watching my recorded content.

The ads are part of recordings done late at night. If you can figure out what the "ad" channels are and remove them from your Receive list that may effectively block them. I think in the past they have been PBS type channels. Since the Mini has no recordings storage it doesn't suffer from Pause Ad and Gold Star intrusions. So if someone really despises the ads, the Mini is a good way to avoid most of them right now (you still get the Discovery Bar).

The ads are part of recordings done late at night. If you can figure out what the "ad" channels are and remove them from your Receive list that may effectively block them. I think in the past they have been PBS type channels. Since the Mini has no recordings storage it doesn't suffer from Pause Ad and Gold Star intrusions. So if someone really despises the ads, the Mini is a good way to avoid most of them right now (you still get the Discovery Bar).

It's all reminds me of back in the day when you used to "pay" for the privilege of going to see a movie and you actually just got the entertainment you "paid" for, some beginning cartoons and then the feature film. Now it's just a friggin giant tv screen full of Mountain Dew hawking after I paid $16 to get in and $23 for popcorn and a soda!

I also remember when you actually "paid" for your "premium" cable service, the non-broadcast cable channels that you were "paying for" were ad free as well, since it was based on a "subscription model", like TiVo.

It's all reminds me of back in the day when you used to "pay" for the privilege of going to see a movie and you actually just got the entertainment you "paid" for, some beginning cartoons and then the feature film. Now it's just a friggin giant tv screen full of Mountain Dew hawking after I paid $16 to get in and $23 for popcorn and a soda!

I also remember when you actually "paid" for your "premium" cable service, the non-broadcast cable channels that you were "paying for" were ad free as well, since it was based on a "subscription model", like TiVo.

You clearly need an Alamo Drafthouse where you live. They do movies the way God intended. Fun pre-show stuff like out-takes and embarrassing clips from the actors past or cartoons followed by 2-3 previews and then the show.

Oh, and they serve real food, have a full bar and have a no talking/texting/cell policy.

Alamo is awesome.

On topic, TiVo is really pushing things with these ads, and I will update my Amazon review accordingly if they are still there over the coming weeks.

Here's a splash of reality. Even with ads -- which, by the way, are nothing new to TiVo -- the company is barely squeaking by. Many quarters they show a loss. Clearly, the subscription fees aren't enough to keep the company in the black. If it means TiVo sticks around longer, I reluctantly say "bring on the ads."

Here's a splash of reality. Even with ads -- which, by the way, are nothing new to TiVo -- the company is barely squeaking by. Many quarters they show a loss. Clearly, the subscription fees aren't enough to keep the company in the black. If it means TiVo sticks around longer, I reluctantly say "bring on the ads."

What line does TiVo have to cross with you before you call them out on things like this?

It's not the fault of those who paid hard earned money in good faith for the service TiVo was offering at the time they made their purchases what TiVos financial situation is.... and frankly I'm tired of people excusing it.

The box I purchased and paid lifetime for did not have pop up ads.... should we excuse Microsoft if they determine that to maintain profitability they should do pop-up ads on the next version of Windows 8 (after customers have already purchased)?

It's inexcusable. I would MUCH rather have them not modify the service I paid for.... or, offer an opt out. Worst case, if things are so tough for poor TiVo then they should be charging more instead of doing underhanded things like this.

What line does TiVo have to cross with you before you call them out on things like this?

Frankly: when the ads interfere or interrupt my ability to use the device for what it was intended for. An example: if I had to click through or acknowledge an ad before reaching a portion of the TiVo UI or before viewing a program.

So far, the ads TiVo has run have not interfered or interrupted my ability to use the device.

Quote:

The box I purchased and paid lifetime for did not have pop up ads....

Faulty statement. TiVo has been running ads of varying types for many years. I'm not sure when you bought your Roamio, but TiVo has certainly been running ads for the entire lifespan of the device.

For what it's worth: a search of threads in the Coffee House with "ads" in the subject line shows that TiVo has been running ads since at least 2006. (At least, that's the earliest reference in the Coffee House. There may be earlier references in the archives.)

If you weren't aware that TiVo ran ads, well... that doesn't change the fact that they do.

For what it's worth: a search of threads in the Coffee House with "ads" in the subject line shows that TiVo has been running ads since at least 2006. (At least, that's the earliest reference in the Coffee House. There may be earlier references in the archives.)

If you weren't aware that TiVo ran ads, well... that doesn't change the fact that they do.

You are making the incorrect assumption that all ads are equally obnoxious. Pop-up ads are generally considered to be one of the more intrusive and annoying forms of advertising.

You are also assuming that TiVo is doing this out of financial necessity, when it might be nothing more than a marketing move to see what the uproar will be about these types of ads. If enough people make a stink, they very well might pull them, they've made advertising changes in the past based on customer feedback.

At the very least, we need to be able to open the ad, and say "No thanks!" and not have it bother us again. Seeing the same ad repeatedly is IMO obnoxious and poorly done. Especially the Keep or Delete ad that seems to generate after the initial prompt is displayed, and to me looks ugly and out of place.

I was kinda hoping they'd learned their lesson in these pause ads. They use to be in the SDUI but I'd never seen them in the HDUI until now. Worse yet is they are actually bigger in the HDUI then they were in the SDUI.

I don't mind the ads in the discovery bar or even the star at the bottom of the main menu, but the pause ads and the ones they put at the bottom of folders screw up the basic functionality of the DVR and I really wish they would have left those gone.

What line does TiVo have to cross with you before you call them out on things like this?

It's not the fault of those who paid hard earned money in good faith for the service TiVo was offering at the time they made their purchases what TiVos financial situation is.... and frankly I'm tired of people excusing it.

The box I purchased and paid lifetime for did not have pop up ads.... should we excuse Microsoft if they determine that to maintain profitability they should do pop-up ads on the next version of Windows 8 (after customers have already purchased)?

It's inexcusable. I would MUCH rather have them not modify the service I paid for.... or, offer an opt out. Worst case, if things are so tough for poor TiVo then they should be charging more instead of doing underhanded things like this.

If you don't care about the companies you do business with staying in business, then you seriously need to rethink your personal ethics, because they are broken.

Don't do business with a company if you don't want them around. If I give TiVo my money, I want them to be profitable, so I can later give them more of my money for more things that are also profitable. The exchange should benefit both of us.

It sounds like you only want the exchange to benefit you. Which is an attitude I used to hear from my 2 year old until she grew out of it. Maybe try doing that.

If you don't care about the companies you do business with staying in business, then you seriously need to rethink your personal ethics, because they are broken.

Don't do business with a company if you don't want them around. If I give TiVo my money, I want them to be profitable, so I can later give them more of my money for more things that are also profitable. The exchange should benefit both of us.

It sounds like you only want the exchange to benefit you. Which is an attitude I used to hear from my 2 year old until she grew out of it. Maybe try doing that.

Oh my. This is not an issue of whether anyone wants Tivo to stay in business. I think we all do, and I doubt that any of us here have insight into their revenue from these ads or even whether the Roamio product is profitable with or without them.

I would happily pay more for an ad-free option (Amazon has done this well with the Kindle). I don't want to see the same ad repeatedly, and I want a choice other than switching to a service other than Tivo.

To those new folks in the thread saying "but if I knew it had ads" or "we shouldn't have to pay for it an get ads" This comes up every time the ad platform gets tweaked, and every time folks say "it's the last straw, I'm leaving.

But like Loadstar, I have yet to see any of the ads require me to do or press anything different to get past them, that's the line they so far have not crossed. As long as they don't change my activities, I'm ok with them. There's more than a bit of discussion that the Roamio may be the last retail Tivo, I can only hope that doesn't happen.

But I also agree with the others that the retail market is their test market for features they want to shop around to the MSOs they have agreements with, they can show clear data points and say "we can deliver this type of eyeball"

__________________"There is a distinct difference between having an open mind and having a hole in your head from which your brain leaks out."

I was kinda hoping they'd learned their lesson in these pause ads. They use to be in the SDUI but I'd never seen them in the HDUI until now. Worse yet is they are actually bigger in the HDUI then they were in the SDUI.

I don't mind the ads in the discovery bar or even the star at the bottom of the main menu, but the pause ads and the ones they put at the bottom of folders screw up the basic functionality of the DVR and I really wish they would have left those gone.

How does it screw up the basic functionality? I'm still able to pause a show, go do something else, and when I come back unpause it. The ad being there does nothing to hinder this. And if for some reason I need to see something on the screen, I just press down on the D-pad.

If the ads hindered my use in any way, I would definitely be pissed and up in arms about it. But the advertisements on the TiVos have never hindered my use. And in more than one instance saved me money or introduced me to something that I otherwise would have never watched.

The star ad at the bottom of a group seems to take a second to fill in, which interferes with navigation. i.e. if you press skip to end, then up a few times to get to the last show on a list, then the ad fills in and it loses where you were and you have to press up again. Sometimes if you're really fast it can result in you accidentally selecting the ad which then takes you to another screen you have to back out of.

The pause ad is huge and covers the whole screen. If I pause to see something I have to press another button to get rid of it.

Sadly, Tivo is an ad supported company. They clearly aren't going to get rid of ads anytime soon. In fact I think their biggest problem is nobody wants to do ads with them. I mean c'mon, why do I have to look at a Carbonite ad for weeks!! If the ad platform was successful we'd see a variety of ads rotating....not just a few.

I dislike the ads. I guess I'm in the minority because I don't really care about the Pause ads (I rarely look at the screen after I hit pause). I hate the TiVo Central star ads and the star ads embedded in show folders. It feels like you can't escape them since they show up on so many primary screens while navigating the UI. Combined with the Discovery Bar ad we now often see 2 ads on the same screen.

Side note 1: someone mentioned TiVo is not really making enough money to get by. Those days appear to be over. Tom Rogers says the company is now (and will continue to be) cash flow positive going forward. No more quarterly losses.

Side note 2: I find it funny multiple people referred to the current ad as "Cryptonite". In addition to be annoying, these ads must not be very effective.

What line does TiVo have to cross with you before you call them out on things like this?.

Exactly.

It is a slippery slope... where is the line?

I have been able to tolerate the 1 line pause crap and star crap and even the Discovery Bar crap. But anything more/larger/more invasive is really starting to push my limit. Yes, there will be those who can tolerate more, or can't even tolerate what happens now. But I think most would agree that line is really starting to form. It even seems somewhat immoral that TiVo makes its living on a box where one of its main functions is DESIGNED to avoid advertising and then just insert their own.

I will say again that it is just poor design to show a pause ad over and over and over again. I got the message the first time, and interfering with my ability to see what is on the screen when I pause EVERY TIME is unacceptable... and easily fixed with a patch that stops it after it has been seen or suppresses it for that session or at least that show.

As for money- I paid a *LOT* of money for their TOP OF THE LINE model (Roamio Pro) and with lifetime service and a Slide. They lost no money on me at all on this stuff. They have to push out updates anyway to fix what is still broken after years and attract new customers. And the daily connection to get some listings is a tiny expense per unit. If they wanted more money, they should have put out a better unit with the Premiere that is more like this Roamio... they could have had many more sales.

Any additional types or severity of ads borders on bait-and-switch or breech of implied contract by changing what it is I purchased. For many of us, this is not a lease and it is not a monthly service.

The main point is... The ads are annoying! Does TiVo really want to annoy paying customers just to make a few more bucks selling ads? If just a few customers leave or don't buy because of the ads is it still worth it?